The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care has announced that the Ontario Drug Benefit (ODB) will no longer pay for more than 30 highly…
Properly educating workers about their health coverage is critical for consumer-driven health plans (CDHPs) to be successful, according to research compiled by the Employee Benefit…
A recent study by The Segal Company showed that while historically, bankruptcy has been the most common reason for companies to form Voluntary Employees’ Beneficiary…
It’s hard to believe we are already into a new year. Fiscal and strategic planning for the new calendar year have been completed. It’s now…
U.S. companies are switching gears toward lower-cost, consumer-driven benefits strategies that include HSAs. Will Canadian companies come along for the ride? The shift from employer-sponsored…
The Ontario Medical Association(OMA)has selected Sun Life Financial Canada as the insurer for its optional health plan for physicians, effective January 1, 2008. This program…
Manulife Financial Group Benefits has launched a new service to help group plan members and their dependants access health information to cope with a critical,…
Refilling our prescriptions and taking our medications properly can be a challenge at the best of times. We all need a reminder now and then…
Atlantic Canada is in the midst of an economic comeback. But after decades of worker outmigration, talent is scarce. Employers are using their benefits plans…
As talent becomes scarce, employers are turning to benefits upgrades above and beyond the traditional flex plan to get and keep employees on board. An…
Getting access to the best cancer drugs is a priority for those afflicted. But who bears the increasing costs of providing this coverage? Canadian Cancer…
Nova Scotia has tabled Bill 24, the Dental Hygienists Act, which will allow the province’s dental hygienists to perform a greater range of preventative dental-care…
U.S. employers’ health benefit costs rose by 6.1% in 2007—the same pace as last year—to an average of US$7,983 per employee, according to a survey.…
Baby boomers and Generation Y may have less of a generation gap than one might assume when it comes to employee benefits, according to a…
The issues surrounding group health and benefit plans are challenging Canadian employers today in ways not seen in the past. Never have the issues seemed…
Health Care Spending Accounts offer employees a greater range of benefits options while helping employers control costs. Employers face a complex matrix of challenges in…
The Canadian pharmaceutical landscape is undergoing a “biologic revolution,” and there’s no end in sight. How will pharmacy care models adapt? Biologic or “biotech” drugs…
Bill 102 may benefit the public sector, but will the private sector lose out? The implementation of the Transparent Drug System for Patients Act(Bill 102)on…
The Special Authorization process saves employers and insurers money, but at what cost? Healthcare receives a lot of media coverage, so it’s easy to assume…
Strong competition exists in the supply of many generic drugs, but the benefits of this competition are not reaching the Canadian public in the form…
So-called lifestyle drugs are surrounded by debate—from what the definition should be, to whether they should be prescribed, to who should pay for them. With…
With the recent economic boom and resulting labour shortage in the West, when it comes to benefits plans, the employee is now in the driver’s…
As companies take a broader view toward health and wellness benefits, more employees are turning to paramedical services. Many plan members now enjoy coverage of…
Co-operators Life Insurance Company has signed an agreement where NexgenRx will provide the insurance firm with use of its pharmacy benefit management as well as…
General Motors has reached a tentative agreement with the United Auto Workers union to establish an independent retiree healthcare trust. “This agreement helps us close…